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While presenting intelligence information about the prisoner exchange activities between the two countries and the possible fate of the detainees, the commission said in its report, ‘India’s involvement in the disappearances in Bangladesh has become a hot topic in the public.’ The five-member commission headed by former Justice Mainul Islam Chowdhury recently handed over the report titled ‘Unveiling the Truth’ to its chief advisor Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus at the state guest house Jamuna in the capital.

The commission said that there is a strong indication among the law enforcement agencies that some of the detainees may still be in Indian jails. The commission said, ‘We request the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Home Affairs to make every effort to trace any Bangladeshi nationals who are still in detention in India. Investigating this matter outside the borders of Bangladesh is beyond the jurisdiction of the commission.

Two high-profile incidents mentioned in the report provide important evidence to understand how the disappearances were carried out. One is the incident of Sukhranjan Bali, who was abducted from the Bangladesh Supreme Court premises and brought to an Indian prison, and the other is the incident of BNP leader Salahuddin Ahmed. In addition to these incidents, Hummam Quader Chowdhury said that people could be heard speaking in Hindi outside his prison, asking, “When was he arrested? Did he give any information? What has been interrogated yet?” etc.

The commission said that the incident of BNP leader Salahuddin Ahmed exemplifies some of the workings of the Bangladesh-India prisoner exchange system. After being arrested while hiding in Uttara in 2015, he said that he was detained in an abandoned cell with a hole in the floor that was used as a toilet. The blanket given to him had the letters “TFI” written on it, which indicates “Task Force for Interrogation.”

They said that the only active TFI centre at the time was under the supervision of the RAB Intelligence Wing, which, although operating under the RAB headquarters, was located inside a walled compound of the RAB 1 Battalion headquarters in Uttara, Dhaka. The commission visited the facility and confirmed that the RAB Intelligence Wing still controlled access to it and held the key. However, the internal infrastructure of the facility had been completely demolished a few days ago.

The commission’s report said, “The testimony of witnesses helped us identify various parts of the premises, including the location of the infamous torture chamber and cells.” They said that interviews with military personnel who visited the TFI centre in the early and mid-2010s revealed that the facility once had an additional floor with several cells, which is now inaccessible.

The report said, “We are still awaiting further evidence. However, it is initially suspected that Salahuddin Ahmed was being held in one of the now demolished cells. Salahuddin said he was taken to the India-Bangladesh border and handed over to Indian officials there. The report added that the formal nature of the handover process deep inside Indian territory and the presence of suspected members of the Bangladeshi security forces wearing ‘jam caps’ to conceal their identities at the time clearly indicated that the incident took place through high-level coordination between the governments of the two countries and the security forces concerned.

The report said that interviews with soldiers assigned to the RAB Intelligence Wing provided further information about the prisoner exchange process between the two countries and the possible fate of the detainees. The report added that ‘one soldier described being present when the RAB Intelligence Wing received three prisoners from India through the Tamabil border crossing on two separate occasions around 2011. Uniformed members of the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) were present at the time.’

The report said that ‘in one incident, two prisoners were killed on the roadside after being received. In another incident, a prisoner was captured alive and handed over to another party in Bangladesh. The report notes, “In return, the RAB Intelligence Wing handed over two Bangladeshi prisoners to India.”

The commission said that, while the military personnel were unable to name the prisoners, such formal security service coordination indicated the institutional and cross-border nature of the disappearances. The commission believes, “However, further detailed analysis is needed to fully understand the extent to which Indian authorities were involved and the implications for both countries.”

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